Troy

You are misinterpreting what you are reading. These sources are sayin that "new" information is forcing them to change "long held" beliefs. In other words, they are continuing to learn more as they learn more Man you still have not shown anyone saying an MRI or CT scan is a way to test for austism. A CT scan is an Xray do you believe you can test for a mental illness with an xray? Why would you think it is possible to do it with a CT scan? As far as MRI they are attempting to draw a connection between brain development (like brain volume), and trying to connect thus with Autism. They don't know enough about Autism or the brain to make the definitive statements you are claiming. In all tbe artilcles you posted (did you read the entire articles?), none of them say measles vaccines causes Autism or that an MRI can be used to diagnose autism. As recently as 2013, in the DSM 5, the description of what constitutes autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder) has changed. According to the article you shared. You believe the measles vaccine causes Autism. This belief is not supported by the science or any of the articles you've shared. Nothing will change your mind. Amazingly, you are even able to contort articles and read things into them to support your consipracy theory.

Something tells me neither man would be embarrassed.

This statement illustrates my point. The science says there is no simple test for autism and you dismiss the statement rejecting its validity. I think i understand why; I notice you, like many people, don't really deal with ambiguity. Things must be black or white for them to make sense to you. If it is not you make it that way to help you understand it. The symptoms of Austism varys along a spectrum and there are a variety of mental conditions that present in a similiar way. It simply is not a easy thing to diagnose especially when the symptoms are subtle. You can't use at CT Scan or an MRI to diagnose Autism (where do you get these ideas man?). These machines were not designed to, and are incapble of, diagnosing specific mental illness. This is not Star Trek. You just have to accept the fact that diagnosing autism is far from an exact science and there is no connection between it and a measles vaccination.

Links are allowed and encouraged. I only remkve links to malicious web sites or those posted by spammers.

Yes @Pioneer1 I'd consider you one of those smart people. You've consumed a considerable amount of infirmation to lead you to be skeptical. Others who believe this conspiracy theory actually have an autistic child so they are even more throughly convinced. Sadly formerly eradicated diseases are making a come back and people are dying because of the spread of, and belief in, misinformation. The internet in general," and social media in particular, is a big reason for this. Religion is another. Read this article to understand why it appears the incidence of Autism appears to have increased. After you've read it. Let me know if your opinion on the subject has changed, and why.

If would be interesting to hear what Steve and Jim have to say for themselves today.

@Pioneer1 you've demonstrated your support for the site, in ways others can never know, beyond just engaging here. I would not be surpirised if @Cynique posted here again nor would I think less of her for doing so. My kids, like most people their generation, express liite interest in what I do here. That does not mean that they don't love me. It just means that they will not be taking over the site. If I were to keel over today, unfortunately, the site would die with me. Unfortunately, as Pioneer wrote, this is how we do.

@Pioneer1 You may be right. Black discussion forums are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. I revisited a post, not even two years old, where someone who ran a discussion forum ranked a few others. Half the forums have shut down -- including the one run by the person who made the post. Connie summed it up best she has more fun on Facebook. The part about typos on posts here, while true, is also true on facebook. That really is the bottom line. For the vast majority of social media users I observe in real life - who pass me their phone to share something funny they saw on some social site. Of course these sites are designed to highly engage folks and they work very well. Fast growing platforms like TikTok are completely driven by entertaining videos. Facebook's mobile feed attempts to mimic this but they can't... ultimately people will leave Facebook too. During the peak of this forum, I would regularly laugh out loud by something I read here, but I could also learn something. There was humourous posts, serious ones, and everything in between. Most importantly, at least to me, is that this platform is Black-owned and independent. I'm a child of the 60s, who grew up in the segregated northern ghetto of Harlem. So Black independence is a thing I find to be important. This is a sentiment that is dying along with indie Black focused and owned websites. One reason independence is important is that businesses like AALBC provides opportunities for people. The writers, editors, and others I pay are not being paid by the likes of a Mark Zuckerberg. Of course AALBC's ability to do this is adversely impacted the dominace of Google, Amazon, and social. Fortunately, individuals whether they are sponsors, site vistors, or contributors to this forum are the people who keep this site alive. If you are reading this thank YOU for helping to keep this site alive! Also, thank you on behalf of the writers whose work you support, but who will probably never fully appreciate your impact.

@Chevdove so there was outrage before Colin spoke up? So folks Black folks are offended by this sneaker... do i have the right shoe? I don't get it?

This post reminded me of a "manweave" video someone shiwed me once me.

I just revisited the sites ranked by @theblackboard to start this conversation and found that 1/2 of the discussion forums mention are dead: The Black Board Community Forum (www.theblack-board.com) The domain name redirects to another website. A search on the community name yields no results. So I assume this discussion forum is no longer active. Black Visions (www.blackvisions.org/) The link from the homepage to the community is broken. After finding an alternative path to the discussion forum, I see that the most recent post is from August of 2018. Cocoa Lounge (www.cocoalounge.org/) The URL to this website is no longer active and is currently redirected to an unrelated website. . SomaliSpot.com (www.somalispot.com) This forum is still active and quite good. I just updated my profile and replied to a post. It looks quite good it is obviously Somali-centric, but like AALBC.com is does not matter where you are from. Just don't try any silly Somali pirate jokes. Destee (www.destee.com) Destee is still active and judging the site quickly. It's designation as the #1 discussion forum is deserved. I updated my account on this website and introduced myself. The Blackboard's list did not include Lipstick Alley (which I keep hearing is not Black owned) or Nubian Planet who no longer appears to operate a discussion forum. Well the status of Black owned discussion forums, despite a couple of bright spots continues to get worse and is looking rather grim. The corporate run alternatives, as I always say, will never ever serve us. I'll keep AALBC.com's discussion forum going as long as there are people who read it and folks who contribute to it.

Facebook, YouTube Overrun With Bogus Cancer-Treatment Claims Facebook and YouTube are being flooded with scientifically dubious and potentially harmful information about alternative cancer treatments, which sometimes gets viewed millions of times, a Wall Street Journal examination found. See More Coverage › Man, the Wall Street Journal really has my number. Above is the email I got today. Again another article I had to read. Unlike the Colin K sneaker story I shared yesterday, this is indeed newsworthy. But since it is in the Wall Street Journal the people who need this information the most will almost certainly not see or read it. The sad truth is most people consume "news" via social media. Social media is not in the business of disseminating news; they are in the business of making as much money as possible. As a result, social is much more likely to share the bogus, attention grabbing, claims of snake oil sales people over the the truth. Sensational claims go viral, the truth languishes in obscurity, and people die, unnecessarily, as a result. Many people claim they are smart enough to tell the difference between the truth and lies on social media. I'm not so confident of this anymore. Most people simply do not research claims. At best they simply read more of the same social media served lies to support what they already want to believe. There are too many smart people that I personally know who believe the measles vaccine causes autism and won't get their kids vaccinated or who reject the science behind climate change. Twitter's primary function is to serve as the engine behind 45's propaganda machine and people lap it up! Almost 10% of my Twitter followers (all Black people) also follow 45. From what I can tell they also engage with 45 more too -- as if 45 listens to, or gives and ef what they have to say.

@Delano you know we don't have structured debates here, and that is not what we were talking about. You are not just avoiding "debate," you've preempted that possibility by not expressing an opinion in the discussions you've started lately, which was @Pioneer1's point. I don't know what, means.

In a “breaking News” email from the Wall Street Journal... Nike Pulls ‘Betsy Ross Flag’ Sneaker After Colin Kaepernick Intervenes Nike is yanking a U.S.A.-themed sneaker featuring an early American flag after former NFL star-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick told the company it shouldn’t sell a shoe with a symbol that he and others consider offensive, according to people familiar with the matter. See More Coverage › What?! This whole scenario is crazy on so many levels... Does Nike think they are "woke" as a result? Is Colin really that soft that he finds a stupid sneaker offensive. That sport he got booted from is way more offensive in the way they treat their athletes most of whom are Black. If a flag offends him he could not walk down the street of many neighborhoods without having his fragile sensibilities offended. Of all the news that the Wall Street Journal could have shared with me today -- this is what they decided to share. Obviously their algorithms are working cause they knew what would peak my interest (I'm sharing the article here). But I'm not sharing any more of their nonsense "news." It just drives them to cover silly interactions between a greedy corporation and the childish Black athletes they are exploiting. @CDBurns I hope you scored a few pair before they were pulled. Colin has driven the price of these sneakers through the roof on the secondary markets. I saw one site selling the shoes for $2,500. Colin next time you find a shoe offense let me know before you tell Nike so I can buy a few pair. You simply can't make this shit up.

Perhaps @harry brown but the case I read about here (gulf coast) affected a white girl. If they wanted to target Bkack women the beach is not be the best place. Maybe the hair salon or the church. 😉

I was just a "for instance," an example you could relate to, to make a point. Sometimes debates are a subset, often a very interesting subset, of discussions. So @Delano you don't understand the distinction I made between you not expressing an opinion versus "debating" one.

@Mel Hopkins, what @Delano starting doing, which @Pioneer1 described, is actually different. Sure Del stopped debating opinions, but he also stopped expressing his opinions, which is a very different thing. I will debate some opinions and will change or alter my opinion when I learn new information. Now we all have pereferences. I like roller coasters and someone else my not. There is nothing really to debate here. However there are a whole class of subjects and ideas that are up for debate. Of course, if you have no intention of changing your position or listening to opposing perspectives, then debate is a collossal waste of time. For example, I used to believe Astrology utter nonsense. Debating people knowledgable about the subject changed my opinion -- i woul not be so quick to completely dismiss it. The best discussion forums allow for the exchange of information bewteen people with opposing views. Which is something I never found on social -- perhaps because algorithms get in the way... I dunno, but the reduction in the number of platforms were good debates can take place is another problem with internet over the last two decades.

This is not "new" news, because Amazon has providing a platform for, and profiting off, the sale of counterfeited books (indeed a variety of products) for years. It is good see this covered. In major news paper. The New York Times reports the on a publisher who purchased 34 of their own books on Amazon and found that 30 were counterfeit. Maybe someone in government will contemplate reigning in Amazon's monopoly. What Happens After Amazon’s Domination Is Complete? Its Bookstore Offers Clues https://nyti.ms/2ZIao2M

No problem ;-)

Very.

For who?

@Delano at the risk of coming across as debating an opinion, this sounds like you are erasing your identity -- the thing that makes you, you are your opinions. So what if others disagree with them from time to time and even try to help you see things their way or even try to get you to change your opinion. On a related note: there is science that suggests what people believe is a function of their genetics. In other words liberals and conservatives are born that way. There was an interesting program discussion this on my local NPR affiliate this week. If I can dig it up I will. Basically, our opinions have less to do with experience, or facts, and much more to with our genes. Having an "open mind" my be much harder than you think ;-)

If you look at the Black owned publishing companies, many are companies formed by individuals for the purpose of publishing their own books. If you click on any of the companies and see titles from only one author that is usually the case and would be the authors you are looking for. You can also look at the authors listed under Author House, Createspace, or any of the other publishing companies catering to self-publishers on our list of over 2,100 publishing companies. The books listed are in order of publication on all of these lists. @Word Lovers, if you look through these lists I'm confident you find more self published authors than you'll know what to do with :-) You'll also be able to find what you need before I get around to creating that page.

@Pioneer1 do you remember Del's response? I don't.

This is completely false. Left handedness is a recessive trait. What makes that trait "a bit defective?" This makes no sense. Using your "logic" Obama can't live as a Black man, because he is not Black. What about his "mixed race" children; can they live as Black people?